OxfordAQA 9270 Paper 2: Source‑based reading and directed writing

What 9270/2 assesses

Section A, Reading (40 marks): 5–6 source texts, with questions on individual texts and pairs of texts. Section B, Writing (40 marks): one of two tasks linked to the reading sources, for audience and purpose. Candidates take this paper or the Coursework Project, not both.

• Time: 2 hours
• Marks: 80
• Weight: 40% of OxfordAQA 9270 (Specification, Version 5.1 (teaching from September 2016; exams May/June 2018 onwards))
• How it is assessed: External (written exam)
• Who takes it: Exam route (instead of the Coursework Project)

9270/2 is worth 40% of the 9270 grade and carries 80 marks. Each mark moves the qualification by about 0.50%. The qualification is graded 9–1.

What the examiners reward in 9270/2

Reading

• R3: Develop and sustain interpretations of writers' ideas and perspectives

This is one of the objectives. The 9270 overview lists the full set.

Writing

• W3: Organise information and ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts; use a variety of linguistic and structural features to support cohesion and overall coherence

This is one of the objectives. The 9270 overview lists the full set.

The marks here follow the board's reading objectives. First, your child must identify explicit information and interpret implicit ideas. Across the non-fiction texts, they must also select and bring together evidence from more than one source.

Next, they analyse how writers use language and structure to shape meaning and affect the reader. They use accurate terminology rather than a list of spotted devices. They also compare how different writers present ideas and perspectives, and evaluate a text critically, backing judgements with precise reference.

Strong work reads the whole passage, chooses short quotations that genuinely prove a point, and always explains effect and purpose. Our teachers build these habits line by line so analysis becomes second nature.

For more detail, see 9270 reading in the syllabus.

Question types we practise for 9270/2

• Summary writing: Selecting the right points and rewriting them concisely in your own words. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
• Explicit and implicit meaning: Finding what a text states directly and what it implies. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
• Directed writing: report: Writing a clear, organised report for a specific reader. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice

A timing plan for 9270/2

The syllabus gives 80 marks and 2 hours for 9270/2. That is about 1.5 minutes per mark. A 10-mark answer therefore earns about 15 minutes.

At the halfway point of 60 minutes, check that you have covered about 40 marks' worth of the paper. This is a practice guide built from the stated totals. The paper's own instructions come first.

Where marks are lost on 9270/2

Selecting points for a summary: Choosing examples instead of points. The student keeps the illustration and drops the idea. Read the full guide.

Writing a report: Wrong register. The report is written like an article, with voice and flourish. Read the full guide.

Preparing for 9270/2 with us

A teacher works through 9270/2 question types with your child under timed conditions, against the criteria in the mark scheme. See First Language English tuition for how a session runs.

9270/2 is one component of OxfordAQA 9270, graded on the 9–1 scale. Check the current arrangement for your exam year with your school or the board.

Next, visit our original practice tasks to rehearse the paper with timings. Our First Language English tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.